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Spider

Spider

Thriller · Drama · 2002

A mentally disturbed man takes residence in a halfway house. His mind gradually slips back into the realm created by his illness, where he replays a key part of his childhood.

Movie details

Spider

“The only thing worse than losing your mind... is finding it again.”

2002 Thriller · Drama 1h 38m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.6 / 10

Community rating

A mentally disturbed man takes residence in a halfway house. His mind gradually slips back into the realm created by his illness, where he replays a key part of his childhood.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Spider?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

Following

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Seance on a Wet Afternoon

Seance on a Wet Afternoon

Crime · 1964

Working-class British housewife Myra Savage reinvents herself as a medium, holding seances in the sitting room of her home with the hidden assistance of her under-employed, asthmatic husband, Billy. In an attempt to enhance her credibility as a psychic, Myra hatches an elaborate, ill-conceived plot to kidnap a wealthy couple's young daughter so that she can then help the police "find" the missing girl.

Layer Cake

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When a seemingly straight-forward drug deal goes awry, XXXX has to break his die-hard rules and turn up the heat, not only to outwit the old regime and come out on top, but to save his own skin...

You Were Never Really Here

You Were Never Really Here

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A traumatized veteran, unafraid of violence, tracks down missing girls for a living. When a job spins out of control, Joe's nightmares overtake him as a conspiracy is uncovered—leading to what may be his death trip or his awakening.

Mystic River

Mystic River

Thriller · 2003

The lives of three men who were childhood friends are shattered when one of them suffers a family tragedy.

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Mysterious Skin

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Stuart: A Life Backwards

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Naked Lunch

Naked Lunch

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Blank-faced bug killer Bill Lee and his dead-eyed wife, Joan, like to get high on Bill's pest poisons while lounging with Beat poet pals. After meeting the devilish Dr. Benway, Bill gets a drug made from a centipede. Upon indulging, he accidentally kills Joan, takes orders from his typewriter-turned-cockroach, ends up in a constantly mutating Mediterranean city and learns that his hip friends have published his work -- which he doesn't remember writing.

Urchin

Urchin

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Mike, a rough sleeper in London, is trapped in a cycle of self-destruction as he attempts to turn his life around. Along the way, he encounters unexpected chances for a fresh start.

Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

David Cronenberg

Written by

Patrick McGrath

Ralph Fiennes

Ralph Fiennes

Spider

Miranda Richardson

Miranda Richardson

Yvonne / Mrs. Cleg

Gabriel Byrne

Gabriel Byrne

Bill Cleg

Lynn Redgrave

Lynn Redgrave

Mrs. Wilkinson

John Neville

John Neville

Terrence

Philip Craig

Philip Craig

John

Bradley Hall

Bradley Hall

Spider Boy

Court is in session

Put Spider on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Form is the argument.”

Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Technique in search of a pulse.”

Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.